Why children are still playing tackle football, despite brain risks

Tackle football offers children as young as 5 the chance to make friends, learn teamwork and maybe win a college scholarship

Tackle football offers children as young as 5 the chance to make friends, learn teamwork, maybe attract a college scholarship. Growing research shows it also can cause injuries that damage developing brains.

That leaves families to balance the risks against the opportunities.

Many are opting out. Participation in youth tackle football has been declining for years. But especially in communities of color, tackle football’s lure remains strong and the balance tips toward opportunity, a four-month investigation by The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland has found.

A nationwide Ipsos poll commissioned by the centers found:

— Black parents are more likely than white parents, by substantial margins, to believe that youth tackle football could lead to a college scholarship or an NFL career. Hispanic parents are also far more likely than white parents to see college scholarships and pro careers as a potential benefit of youth football.